Notice on their websites that many Canadian
marine surveyors claim to be Accredited or
Certified but don't say who awarded these
credentials. There are a number of marine
surveyors in Ontatio with creative credentials
that seem to change monthly and claim accreditation
and certification by organizations that neither
certify nor accredit marine surveyors. Caveat
Emptor.

Not all of the titles and organizations listed
are what they appear to be. One organization
will sell you a home study kit with an exam
at the back of the manual, others have little
or no requirements for joining and still
others have not held a meeting in over ten
years and a couple are one man operations
collecting fees. I have also seen a CD for
sale on E-bay promising everything you need
to know to be a surveyor for $9.95. I think
the only way to find out is to contact each
one and see how easy it is to buy a title
or be creative and make up your own title
like some of the fella's on my list of the
Every Marine Surveyor in Ontario.
I guess its up to you to figure it out but
here are ten questions to help you find the
right marine surveyor.

1.

Does your surveyor have contractors liability
insurance. Some marinas and yacht clubs will
not allow contractors on their property without
this insurance. If your surveyor does not
have insurance, ask the marina or club if
they require it before hiring the surveyor.
I've seen surveyors turned away at the gate
on many occasions. This can be a major cost
and inconvenience to all involved. All SAMS®
members have this insurance.

2.

Ask for recommendations from marine service
shops or local service tech's or mechanics,
they tend to know the better surveyors as
they have dealt with all the local ones at
one time or another.This is probably the best tip of all.

3.

Are they members of the Society of Accredited Marine Surveyors®, if not, ask who certified or accredited
them, then check out that organization
on
the web. Contact the authority in question and find
out how easy it is to buy an acronym.There are some that sell "acronyms" to anyone who sends a cheque.SAMS®is the only organization with a five year
program to progress from SA (Surveyor Associate)
to AMS® (Accredited Marine Surveyor)
along with ongoing continuous education requirements
and while an SA, annual reviews of work product.

5.

Ask how long he/she has been surveying and
about their training and education. My continuing
education list is here. I find it odd that with 250 surveyors in
Ontario there are 230 faces that I have never
seen at any of the courses I've taken.

6.

Ask how many surveys they do in a year and if they have surveyed your specific
model. All the powerboat models I have surveyed
or delivered are listed here and sailboats here. The surveyor who does 200 a year is likely
more qualified than the fella that does 30.

7.

Ask to see a sample survey report. Samples of my reports and a few other surveyors
are on my website. Review samples from several
surveyors and read carefully between the
lines. I would lean towards a marine surveyor
who posts sample reports on their website
as this shows a pride of workmanship and
that they are not afraid of scrutiny. Ensure that their reports include a "Scope
of Survey" statement outling exactly
how and what the inspection will include.
This statement is a requirement for
SAMS®
surveyors.

8.

Sure, ask for references but don't expect
to be given any bad ones. Some of my testimonials
are listed here.

9.

Ask your dock mates who they used and if
they were satisfied. If they were still satisfied
a year after the survey you might have found
the right surveyor.Ask for referrals on one of the Boating Forums. If you do get a good surveyor, give him
a plug on those forums, let everyone
on those
forums know you have found a good one.

10.

Ask if they have ever had a survey rejected
by an insurance or finance company. Don't
expect a truthful answer but file it for
future reference anyway. This happens more
often than you'd think as a few (very few)
of the insurance companies are actually starting
to read the survey reports.

Think twice about the 30 page survey that
that goes into great detail about the "tastefully
appointed" upholstery but mentions nothing
about the engine compartment ventilation
system, the seized seacocks, the ground-neutral
is done right or non-ignition protected equipment
in a gasoline engine compartment. Watch out
for the "check list" surveys, you
know ... the ones that say "Hull - yes,
Engines - two". Don't be fooled by the
25 page inventories with dozens of photos,
look for hard facts.

Recommendations or Surveyors Comments are
the most important part of any survey and
should cite the standards on which they are
based or whether they are "opinion".
To remain current a surveyor must be a member
of American Boat And Yacht Council® (ABYC®) and subscribe to their primary publication....
"Standards and Technical Information
Reports For Small Craft" which includes
standards for construction, electrical, fuel
and fire safety systems among many others.
The USCG and Transport Canada's Small Craft
Construction Standards are largely derived
from this publication. Although ABYC®
Standards are voluntary they do offer a very
good baseline.

Transport Canada, USCG, CCG and CE standards
are currently being harmonized with ABYC
standards and Transport Canada has actually
made some of these standards law in Canada
with more being added every year. Canadian
Regulations now make so many referrals and
deferrals to ABYC that one simply cannot
survey a vessel to Transport Canada Small vessel Construction
Standards without being a member of ABYC® and
purchasing their standards and annual
updates.

Do NOT hire a surveyor who is not a member
of ABYC®or go a step further and hire an ABYC®"Standards Certified" surveyor. Go to the website and ensure their
credentials. If the surveyor does not cite
specific standards or authorities for his
recommendations, what are they based on ?
Check the ABYC® website to ensure your surveyor really is
Standards Certified.

Membership in BoatUS® Technical Exchange is also important as this provides access
to a forum for marine professionals
which
includes a database of technical, structural
and safety issues for specific vessels.
Check
the BoatUS Approved Surveyor list, they are quite selective about who
they approve..

A survey should be a systematic examination
of the vessel and it's systems. Many
surveyors
prefer that you not be present during
the
survey as they may be distracted and
miss
something. This I believe is a valid
concern
however, you are the customer and I
encourage
your attendance. In a perfect world
I'd prefer
the client arrive towards the end of
the
survey when I have a good handle on
the boat
and what to do about it. Some things
that
can appear serious on paper may assume
a
lesser status when they can be pointed
out
and discussed in person. You must also
remember
that the survey is not complete until
the
report is written as I often have to
mull
things over before committing.

Surveys are limited by the physical and visual
accessibility to the structural elements
and systems. No surveyor can find everything
that's wrong with a boat in the few hours
allotted to a survey and a lot of the issues
he does find are subject to his subjective
interpretations. For instance several local
surveyors make a big issue of wet balsa core
on sailboat decks and consider this a serious
issue while I have never seen wet deck core
hurt anyone or sink a boat, it's a question
of degree .....so if the price is right....
buy it and go sailing (bluewater excepted).
A 100% accurate survey would require complete
disassembly of the vessel, a large number
of holes drilled and the services of several
specialists. I have owned my boat for fifteen
years and in that time have installed new
shaft, stuffing box, stern tube, shaft log,
transmission, fuel injection system, undergone
a total engine rebuild and replaced or rebuilt
virtually every system on the boat from plumbing
and electronics to hydraulics….. I still
learn something new every time I crawl through
the bilge.

Out of the 250 marine surveyors in Ontario
only 20 are SAMS® members......why take the chance of hiring
someone who could not bother to further
his
education and commit to the profession.

I know of one local "Master Marine
Surveyor" who says its a waste of time
to hire an AMS® because you might be
hiring one that graduated at the bottom of
the class. Would you rather hire a doctor
from the bottom of the class or one that
didn't bother to go to medical school ? Choosing
a SAMS® surveyor is not a guarantee but
it does raise the baseline.